2016-07-26 Segment #16 – BCUC admits fires have occurred

1) A recent report states that there has been an amazing ballooning of chronic diseases over the last 20-30 years, many of which are linked to a physical effect linked to RF many years ago, an increase in peroxynitrite (as I read it, this is due to cellular stress). An increase in this oxidase has been found to occur within 2 minutes of exposure to a cell phone signal.

“There has been unprecedented growth in a new class of chronic diseases in the US since 1990. Four categories of disease have virtually exploded: autoimmune, neurological, metabolic and inflammatory. Meanwhile, there has been a similar uptick in reproductive conditions like infertility and a half dozen psychiatric disorders.

While the major health threats of the 20th century: cardiovascular disease, infectious disease and cancer, are barely growing, at least forty chronic diseases and disorders have more than doubled in the past generation. Many of these new age diseases weren’t even on our radar until the 1980’s. In a single generation, there has been a dramatic acceleration* in the prevalence of diseases and disorders like autism (2094%), Alzheimer’s (299%), COPD (148%), diabetes (305%), sleep apnea (430%), celiac disease (1111%), ADHD (819%), asthma (142%), depression (280%), bipolar disease in youth (10833%), osteoarthritis (449%), lupus (787%), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD – 120%), chronic fatigue syndrome (11027%), fibromyalgia (7727%), multiple sclerosis (117%) and hypothyroidism (702%).”

This is very interesting considering also the following excerpt from Dr. Gerd Oberfeld, Public Health Dept. of Salzburg, several years ago. The links embedded are to full-texts:

Friedman et al. ( http://www.biochemjusa.org/bj/405/0559/4050559.pdf ) has shown with a GSM signal an upregulation of the NADH oxidase ( http://physrev.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/87/1/245 ) within two minutes in an exposure related manner. The upregulation leads to an increased electron transfer via the membrane border and the formation of superoxide (02 -), which is an oxygen molecule loaded with an additional (free) electron. This superoxide when not eliminated via the superoxide dismutase (SOD) will primarily join with nitrogen oxid (NO) to form peroxynitrite (ONOO-). This is called nitrosative stress and the most potent physiological chemical compound we have in our cells /body.

2) A member sent this interesting article about increased nearsightedness in China being blamed on the widespread use of the smart phone. Increases have also occurred in Europe and North America.

“According to the Nomura report, an academic study from the Australian National University estimated that the prevalence of myopia in 20-year-olds had reached 80% in developed Asia, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea. In the US and Europe the rate is closer to 50%, which is still twice what it was 50 years ago.”

4) Below is a series of emails from a member asking BCUC why we cannot buy our own analogs. Answers are not provided, and a lot of mis-information is. BCUC is merely mouthing BC Hydro’s deceptions and is in no way attempting to find out if BC Hydro’s reasons are fair or honest.

5) Segment #16 of the BCUC response proves that there have been fires – they admit it. And BC Hydro admits it does NOT track any post-installation problems and knew of 12 because “someone” (I) had asked for information via an FOI. Please read this carefully – this alone should be enough to demand a recall of this program. FortisBC too admits to “thermal” incidents that damaged the meter but didn’t lead to fires. This means the “thermal” incident was caught before a fire occurred – much like the many photos of the melted meters I sent to BCUC with my complaint.

Letters:

A long stream of emails between a member and BCUC, please read from the bottom up.

Blake, I do not accept your saying that my file is closed because I am still conversing with you about this problem. BC Hydro is again lying to you when they state “Purchasing your own meter is not an option as it will not work with our system”. I can tell you bluntly, that is a pile of supreme BS because analogue meters are now working on their system and the ones that we, as citizens of this province and therefore part owners of BC Hydro, can buy are the exact same analogue meters that BC Hydro have purchased in the past. As BC Hydro is saying that they rule the metering world I guess it is fair to say that being told that it is against the law to install a customer owned meter is a pile of trash.

I am in touch with Measurement Canada and received some very interesting information.

The lying fact that to purchase our own meter is against the law. Measurement Canada say that is not the truth. It is only in BC Hydro’s tariff. A tariff that they seem to like to change on a whim. SO we are not breaking any laws in this country.

Sub metering is allowed. As in have a smart meter (radio off) out on a pole somewhere and an analogue attached to your house. This is used at a lot at marinas and landlords use it for charging tenants in separate suites the correct usage. According to Measurement Canada, anybody can use this system to avoid having a smart meter attached to their home. The plus of that is that the readings on the analogue have to equal that of the smart meter. If they don’t match, then we know that BC Hydro is cheating us.

Why do you people continue to listen to the lies that BC Hydro is telling you and stand up to them and put them in their place. Is that not the job of the BCUC. Is that not why the citizens of BC pay your wages? All over the world people are fighting against the smart meter system and people are being allowed to keep their analogue meters at a much much lower fee than BC Hydro is charging. Did you know that they are charging the highest extortion fee in the world?

I bet you do not know that in the USA, the government is replacing some “smart” sections of their infrastructures with analogue parts so as to battle against system hacking. Another point that shows that BC Hydro is lying through their teeth to you.

BC Hydro has previously informed the Commission that, “Purchasing your own meter is not an option as it will not work with our system. Our meters are calibrated and verified under the Federal Electricity and Gas Inspection Act administered by Measurement Canada, and comply with quality control and electrical safety standards established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).”

I trust that this answers your concerns and accordingly, your file is now closed. Thank you again for contacting the Commission.

Your response does not answer my question. Why can’t we buy an analogue meter, give it to Hydro so that they “own it”. We would even pay to have it tested by Measurement Canada.

You have not responded to my telling you that BC Hydro is lying. Why not? Are you people just going to sit there in your almighty little offices and allow a corporation,that is owned by the citizens of this province , to run rough shod over us all. We were promised by Rich Coleman that we would never be forced to take a smart meter if we did not want it.

Terms and conditions of the program can be changed – it wasn’t written in stone. Hydro wrote the terms and conditions and they were accepted by the BCUC and forced on the public through lies and deceit. Doesn’t the BCUC care that you’ve been lied to, as well?

I think we should be pushing for a change in the Meter Choice Program, and the terms and conditions of the Clean Energy Act which is forcing this upon us. There is no justifiable explanation for us to have to have these dangerous invasive things forced upon us. I am a cancer survivor and I will not allow a dangerous device attached to my home that can not only cause a fire but emits RFR constantly and that could bring my cancer back. Can I sue you if that does happen??

Because the BCUC is a separate organization to the government. I cannot, for the life of me, understand how you could be silenced by a body of people that have no power over your organization. Stand up for yourselves and for the citizens of BC and do the job you are being paid to do.

X

= = =

On 2016-07-12 9:24 AM, Complaints BCUC:EX wrote:

Dear X

Thank you for your email regarding your request to purchase your own analogue meter. Given that the meter is owned by BC Hydro, it is part of the utility’s infrastructure and it must be purchased by the utility.

Also, the terms and conditions of the meter choices program do not require BC Hydro to replenish their stock of legacy meters once the stock is depleted. Accordingly, once the meter at your residence expires you will be required to have it replaced with a radio-off meter or a standard smart meter.

BC Hydro has been known to state that the analogue hydro meters are not made any more and that they can not be purchased. As usual, they lie to the public about this as well as everything else. I am attaching 2 websites where analogue hydro meters can be purchased for approx. one tenth of the price of a smart meter. Also, if a customer was allowed to purchase their own meter and have it measured by Measurement Canada, we would not have a problem with the meter issue.

Why is it against the law for us to purchase our own meters? In the US it is the customer’s right to be able to purchase their own meter. Do we not have that right under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms?

KEY: Highlighted text is from Sharon Noble Non-highlighted text is the draft report as written by BCUC staff.

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Post-Installation Incidents

Table 6 shows the number of incidents that caused equipment damage or fire after installation as reported by the utility.

Table 6: Post-Installation Incidents

BC Hydro

FortisBC

Incidents for 1,930,000

installs

rate per million installs

Incidents for 124,409

installs

rate per million installs

12*

6*

5

40

*BC Hydro states it does not specifically track post-installation incidents. The 12 incidents provided in the attached were identified as a result of internal requests for information to clarify the incidents. (my emphasis)

What an amazing admission.

How can Hydro or BCUC say there have been no smart meter fires if these are not tracked?

Hydro has said, and I have in writing, that when a meter fails or is burned, they do not investigate its failure but rather send the meter straight to ITRON for replacement.

I suspect that the 12 reports they have indicated were discovered after I reported the incident and asked for information. How many others occurred that I have not asked for?

Comment: Obvious questions are: Why doesn’t BC Hydro track the after-installation incidents? And how representative are the figures supplied by BC Hydro when they do not record incidents?

FortisBC’s post-installation event of 40 per million indicates that their installation procedures using the hot socket gap indicator and “conservative approach” does not eliminate the hot socket issue. It should be noted that the 5 FortisBC post-installation events were limited to thermal damage of the meters and did not result in a fire. In comparison, approximately half of BC Hydro’s reported post-installation events resulted in a fire. (my emphasis).

What is “thermal damage” to the meter if it isn’t melting or burning?

So BC Hydro does acknowledge that there were some post-installation fires.

To what do they attribute these fires?

Did BC Hydro take full responsibility for these fires or did the insurance company or the individual cover any repair or replacement costs?

Comment: This Report states that BC Hydro does not track post-installation incidents so that this statement is a gross error and is misleading.

Through BCUC staff’s investigation 3 confirmed and 4 unconfirmed post-installation incidents were identified beyond the 12 identified by BC Hydro in its response to BCUC questions. BCUC staff’s investigation included review of incidents submitted by a concerned citizen, reported by media, discussion with the BC Safety Authority, the Office of the Fire Commissioner and local fire departments. The identification of additional post-installation incidents was expected as BC Hydro states they do not track post-installation incidents and the 12 post-installation incidents provided were identified as a result of previous internal requests for information to clarify the incidents

Why were these internal requests to clarify incidents made?

Sharon Noble
Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters

“In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot.” ~ Czeslaw Milosz